Briefing: a Survey of the Social Activity and Social Networking of Blind and Partially

Post-14 transitions - A survey of the social activity and social networking of blind and partially sighted young people: Technical Report

1. Introduction

This is a report carried out by the University of Birmingham for RNIB to investigate the experiences of blind and partially sighted young people in using social networking sites and mobile phones. The research is part of a broader, longitudinal project which follows the transition journey of a number of young people as they move from compulsory education into further education, training and employment.

2. Method

Telephone interviews were carried out with 70 blind and partially sighted young people aged 14 - 17 in summer 2011. The interview schedules contained a combination of open and closed questions on a range of topics including the young people's internet access, experience and use of social networking sites and of mobile phones. Some questions about their hobbies and friendships were also included.

3. Key findings from the research

3.1 Internet Access

99 per cent of the young people have access to the internet at home, and 87 per cent have access through their own computer. The majority (76 per cent) access the internet every day, with over half spending over an hour on the internet per day. It is most common for the young people to access the internet from home, but many also access the internet from school/college. Accessing the internet via their mobile phones is also very common, with 69 per cent saying that they do this.

3.2 Experience of Social Networking Sites

91 per cent of the young people who took part in the survey have set up their own page or profile on a social networking site. This is a higher proportion than found in an Ofcom survey of young people, where 55 per cent of those aged 12-15 and 67 per cent of those aged 16-17 had set up a profile.

The majority of those who use social networking sites said that Facebook was the site they used or updated most often, and this tended to be because it was the site that most of their friends are on.

74 per cent of the young people also have access to or use instant messenger services, such as Skype or MSN.

Almost half of the young people go onto social networking sites to use the chat function to communicate with their friends. A quarter say that they use social networking sites to keep up with friends, and a fifth use the sites to contact people living far away or people that they do not see very often.

There were some access issues, with 11 of the young people unable to register on social networking sites independently. Some improvised to enable them to use the sites in the best way for them. For example, one person goes on the mobile phone version of Facebook as they find it more accessible than the normal Facebook site, whilst another person uses special client software on the internet because the site has its own screen reader.

3.3 Mobile phone use

All but one of the 70 participants owns or has access to a mobile phone. The majority of them (75 per cent) have smart phones. Almost all (93 per cent) of the young people use their mobile phone every day, with 65 per cent using it five or more times a day.

The most common use for mobile phones, is communicating with friends and family (99 per cent) and text messaging (97 per cent). Other popular activities included: listening to music (71 per cent); internet access (68 per cent); taking photos (65 per cent); picking up voicemail (62 per cent); social networking sites (59 per cent) and using applications (55 per cent).

54 per cent said that they had used accessibility features on their mobile phones. The most commonly used accessibility features are changing font size/style (32 per cent) and using zoom functions (23 per cent).

Two in five of the participants (41 per cent) reported that they had owned a mobile phone in the past that they were unable to use due to their visual impairment. The most common problems that were mentioned were that either the screen had been too small, that the keys were too small, or that it wasn’t possible to use speech software on the phone.

The most common features that influenced choice of mobile phone were related to the accessibility of the phone. Almost two thirds (65 per cent) were attracted by specific accessibility options on the phone, and 57 per cent were attracted by clear text on the screen. Other common features were being able to use the internet (58 per cent), being able to use applications (49 per cent), price (45 per cent) and good camera (44 per cent). Only 31 per cent reported that they spent time researching which phone would suit them best before buying one.

4. Conclusions

The use of computers and the internet appears to be an important part of the lives of this group of young people and enables them to engage in the same range of activities as their fully sighted peers. One of the primary reasons for going online is to use social networking sites.

All but one have mobile phones, with the majority having ‘smart phones’, which have greater functionality, and more likely to have accessibility options available on them. Many young people appear to be ‘adapting’ by taking advantage of the accessibility features in their mobile phones to help them in accessing the internet more readily.

Despite the central role that the internet and mobile technology plays in the life of blind and partially sighted young people, and the innovative ways in which they use this technology, there were some accessibility issues. In addition, there is evidence that some of the young people may not be fully aware of the accessibility options available on mobile phones which may mean that they are not using the technology in the optimum way or discounting phones which could suit them.

In conclusion, technology has great potential for blind and partially sighted young people. Further work is needed to ensure that this potential is maximised and in addition, that all blind and partially sighted young people are informed about the accessibility features currently available to them.

5. Further information

The full research report can be downloaded from the RNIB website:
For further information contact Sue Keil at RNIB:

ESI Research briefing1